Ten years ago, out of the ashes of one of our darkest days, the unbreakable spirit of New York City rose up. Acts of random kindness, selfless sacrifice and uncommon courage sprang forth in our hour of greatest need following the horrific 9/11 attacks.

It was breathtaking. And it inspired The Post to ask our readers to help us celebrate this New York spirit by honoring the unsung heroes, the silent good Samaritans, the hometown champions among us with our first annual New York Post Liberty Medals in 2002. Every year since then, you, our readers, have brought us the extraordinary stories of a parade of New Yorkers ages 8 to 108. (See facing page.)

It is with a sense of privilege and great pride that we kick off the 10th annual Liberty Medals. Again, we invite you to tell us about those who deserve tribute for going above and beyond to make this city the greatest on earth. The Post is partnering with Fox 5 and getting a hand from beloved New Yorker Regis Philbin to salute the everyday heroes.

“This is one of my favorite nights of the year. New York people being honored for some good deed they’ve done to make this city a better place. If you know someone like this, let The Post know. I’d love to meet them and congratulate them,” said Philbin, who has emceed the Liberty Medal awards ceremony for eight years.

Tom Porton, a Bronx high school teacher and inaugural winner of a Liberty Medal in the Educator category in 2002, says he treasures it.

“I’ve won numerous awards for my work in education, but I look very fondly at the Liberty Medal because that was actually a true New York City award. And if I’m anything, it’s a devout New Yorker,” Porton said.

It’s easy to nominate. Just log on to nypost.com/libertymedals and submit nominations in any of the eight categories detailed below.

Tell us in 100 words or less why your hero is the best of the best. You may nominate only living people.

A panel of notable New Yorkers will choose from among the nominees in each category to name the winners, who will be honored by The Post on Oct. 18.

Each winner will receive as a symbol of our gratitude a medal engraved with Lady Liberty’s torch and created for The Post by celebrated New York graphic artist Milton Glaser, who devised the iconic “I ♥ New York” logo.

2011 LIBERTY MEDAL CATEGORIES

* Leadership Medal

For a compassionate, disciplined person whose activities during the past year most improved the quality of life in a borough or neighborhood.

* Freedom Medal

For an immigrant New Yorker who best embodies the values of honesty, industriousness and hard-earned success, or a New Yorker who reflects the finest qualities of New York to the world.

* Courage Medal

For a notable act of bravery by a civilian that contributed to saving human life.

* New York’s Bravest Medal

For the firefighter or EMS technician whose performance in the line of duty best exemplifies the department’s unflinching heroism; to be selected in consultation with the FDNY.

* New York’s Finest Medal

For the police officer whose on-the-job performance reflects the department’s honor and selflessness; to be selected in consultation with the NYPD and the Port Authority Police Department.

* Educator Medal

For an administrator or teacher who excels at preparing the next generation of New Yorkers for their future challenges.

* Young Heart Medal

For the youth under 17 who most impressively manifests adult resolve — not for a physical feat, but for behavior that displays moral character or mature judgment during the past year.

* Lifetime Achievement Medal

For the individual whose accomplishments reflect the very best of our city.

9 years of Medal winners

2002

On Sept. 11, 2001, rookie cop Shaun McGill, ran into the north tower’s lobby and saw a woman on fire begging for help. He tore off his uniform shirt and put out the flames, and then helped escort dozens from the building (Finest medal). FDNY firefighter Jeffrey Johnson rescued three men trapped in the partially collapsed Marriott hotel, even though rubble blocked the exit. He tied curtains together and they shimmied down through a hole in a wall (Bravest medal).

2003

She was alone inside a Staten Island riding stable’s barn when the roof blew off, but despite Ashley Martinez’s fright, the 16-year-old equestrienne helped lead 16 panicked horses to safety. “It was smoky and hot. The horses were scared,” she said of that morning after a barge offloading gasoline at Port Mobil exploded (Young Heart medal).

2004

Manhattanite Paul Nicholls was battling multiple myeloma and wanted to help needy folks with cancer pay their nonmedical bills. In 2003, he created Team Continuum to run in the NYC Marathon to raise funds. Nicholls, who ran that race and two more, passed away in 2009, but the nonprofit continues his legacy (Leadership medal).

Chef-turned-teaching fellow Walter Morrison set up a 1940s-style diner in his classroom to teach math, history and self-esteem along with recipes (Educator medal). Rachel Robinson started the Jackie Robinson Foundation to honor her late husband by granting scholarships to minorities and providing mentoring and leadership training (Lifetime Achievement medal).

2007

Wesley Autrey jumped from a subway platform to rescue a stranger who had collapsed onto the tracks. He rolled the young man into a trough between the tracks and shielded him as the train jerked to a stop above them (Courage medal). Nooria Nodrat, an Afghani immigrant who lost her eyesight and her husband in unrelated tragedies, worked with blind students and did volunteer work with both the Catholic and Jewish guilds for the blind (Freedom medal).

2008

FDNY paramedic Craig Roeder crawled under the mangled wreck of a car that had flipped on the Van Wyck Expressway and teetered on a guardrail. He treated a teen under the car and pulled him to safety, then inched his way through the smashed rear windshield to aid the injured driver (Bravest medal).

2009

When Brooklyn cop Susan Porcello responded to a 911 call, an 84-year-old former Marine told her, “I’m all alone. I have nobody.” She became the World War II vet’s health proxy in the last months of his life, then paid for his funeral and headstone (Finest medal).

2010

Alison Wasserman, 13, raised $303,250 for brain-cancer research to honor her dad, who was valiantly battling a malignant brain tumor. “I’m so proud of Ali,” he told The Post in August, just days before he died (Young Heart medal).